Saint John Police are on the scene after a enterprising criminals used the white-out conditions in the uptown to their advantage.A coin and collectibles business on King Street had its window smashed out and some items were taken.

There was also damage done to the door of an adjacent clothing retailer.

Sergeant Jay Henderson of the city police is stressing once again: if you don't have to be out on the roads, you should absolutely not be driving.

There are multiple tractor trailers that have been abandoned or crashed on the highway, as well as many cars abandoned uptown, which could interfere with snow clearing. Police cars have also gotten stuck.

Police services are down to bare bones with 1 car on each zone for emergency calls only, and even tow trucks are being taken off the roads.

About 523 people are currently without power in the province and that number may continue to climb with high winds expected throughout tonight and tomorrow. Throughout the day the numbers have fluctuated from a few hundred to as many as 1,700.

Most of those outages are in Grand Manan although there are some in the Sussex area as well.Gerrish says they've touched bases with local contractors and have crews at the ready to respond as winds and storm conditions intensify.

It's not a day to be driving unless you absolutely have to--and just in time for the latest spring storm, MLA Bill Fraser and Transportation Minister Claude Williams butted heads in Question Period over provincial roads and highways are kept clear enough.

Fraser claims the Tories paid big bucks to a consultant who advised cuts to plows and sanding--but Williams says the Fraser needs to get his facts straight because there haven't been any cuts.

Taxpayers have been complaining according to Fraser....but the transportation minister says CUPE hasn't forwarded the complaints to his office.

Some thieves have been literally ripping off parking meters in the uptown, with 19 meters stolen on Sydney and Charlotte Streets since January of this year alone to the tune of over $10,000. That value doesn't include any of the money that would have been deposited in the meters.

Sergeant Jay Henderson explains the problem seems to be getting worse with 12 meters stolen in the last week, and 5 last weekend.

Police are asking anyone with any information that could assist them in their investigation is being asked to
contact the Saint John Police Force at 648-3333 or Crime Stoppers at
1-800-222-TIPS (8477)

All schools in the Anglophone South School District from Sussex to St. Stephen, including Saint John, are closed today. Francophone South has closed its schools and the New Brunswick Community College in Saint John and St. Andrews is closed. Eastern College and Eastern Trades College are also shut down for the day.

The forecasted storm will disrupt air travel in and out of Saint John today. The airport is reporting only two flights are scheduled to arrive.......The 10:54 morning flight from Montreal and the late one tonight at 11:25 from Montreal. The rest have all been cancelled.

Just three flights will be departing......The first two early morning flights to Toronto and Montreal and the one at 11:15 this morning to Montreal with the others being cancelled.